A school boy was shot in the mouth in Pietermaritzburg with a rubber bullet on Friday, after being caught up in the middle of clashes between police and angry residents protesting over water shortages.
Mazwi Ngubane, a member of the Willowfontein Primary school governing body said: “What happened was that community members gathered in the morning as part of a protest and some of the learners also joined in. Suddenly police started firing rubber bullets and people went to different directions, after a while we realised that a boy had been injured.â€
It is understood that the boy, aged about eight-years-old, was on his way home after the school had closed because of the ongoing clashes.
The child was ferried to hospital by residents, but his condition was not immediately known. Ngubane said he would be meeting with the boy’s mother later on Friday evening.
Police spokesperson Captain Musa Ntombela said that clashes had taken place, but he could not verify whether anyone had been injured or arrested as a result of the clashes.
Friday’s protest is third one this week as residents vented their anger at not getting water.
“The last time we saw a water tanker in the area was on Sunday. How are we expected to survive for five days without water? Children need to bath before going to school. There is cooking and laundry to be done,†said one resident.
Msunduzi Municipality has over the past months implemented water restrictions in line with the instruction from the Department of Water and Sanitation. But Imbali residents complained that while other areas falling under the municipality have had restrictions they were forced to go for days without water supply.
Willowfontein, which is the home of African National Congress treasurer general Zweli Mkhize, is part Imbali, which lies west of Pietermaritzburg’s city centre.
– African News Agency (ANA)
